Mt Vernon weekend, Post 1: Tulip Festival

Last weekend, Angharad, Ben and I headed to Mt Vernon, WA to catch up with Donna and Terry. It was our first road trip in our new car.

On Friday night we crossed the border into the US, a process that took 1.5 hours and involved Angharad almost being arrested for telling a border guard that she was ripping our car apart because she was "looking for a needle" (in fact a darning needle that she had dropped down the side of the seat)! Then we stopped for a scrumptious dinner at our favourite restaurant in Bellingham: La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza.

We reached Donna and Terry's home around 10:30pm and spent a while chatting with them and Kelly, Janae and Etta, who were also spending the weekend.

On Saturday morning, Angharad, Ben and I set off to see the tulip fields: we had timed our visit to coincide with the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (which Angharad and I also went to last year). We didn't go into any of the tulip farms, and ran out of time to go to the street fair like we had originally intended, but we did have fun admiring the vivid fields of tulips as we pootled around the area. As you can see, a LOT of other people were doing likewise!

Tulip traffic

Daffodils

Someone's yard

A barn

Another barn

And yet another barn

The roadside

Lonely?

Llamas

Kites

Barn and kites

Did I mention that I love American barns?

Cyclists checking their "bloom map" at a roundabout

Mt Baker towering over the scene

Love this - looks like she's inspecting a mural!

Crates

So much for the above sign...

Donkey

Helicopter tour over the tulip fields

Click here to see more tulip photos in our Picasa album.

After lunch at the Chuck Wagon Drive-In in Mt Vernon, it was time to head back to Donna and Terry's place to get ready for Etta's 2nd birthday party, which was combined with her cousin Jacqueline's 9th birthday party!

To be continued...

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

This weekend, Angharad and I took an overnight trip across the border to see the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, leaving Ben behind to study in peace. (Note: "Skagit" rhymes with "gadget".) This was the third year in a row that I had wanted to see the tulips, so I was very excited to finally get there!

We set off at 9am on Saturday morning, and by noon we were driving around the fields of tulips and daffodils outside Mt Vernon in Washington state. Tulips are my favourite flower and daffodils are Angharad's, so we were in our element! We decided not to go into the two main tulip farms that charge admission and were brimming over with tourists, so we just took photos from the roadside and didn't need our gumboots after all.

Here's a field of daffodils...



And LOTS of fields of tulips...














This is what the roads around the farms looked like...


Some cyclists getting into the spirit of things...


And some close-ups from the gardens in front of the Washington Bulb Company...







For lunch, we ordered take-out (that's take-away for you Aussies!) from the charming but overcrowded Calico Cupboard Cafe and Bakery in Mt Vernon, and ate it in the car beside the Skagit River. Quesadilla for Angharad, and turkey pot pie for me...



Then we met up with Donna (previously featured in this blog, particularly in the context of US Thanksgiving!) to explore the Mt Vernon Street Fair. Here are some of the sights...

That evening we had a relaxing and entertaining time at Donna and Terry's, stayed the night with them, and left for the border after Sunday lunch.





We stopped in Bellingham to go to a craft store and do the obligatory grocery shop at Trader Joe's, and were home by 5pm. A very enjoyable weekend!

PS. Click here if you would like to see lots more tulip photos!